Mighty Measure - Stories and strategies of meaningful impacts in business and beyond…
Sean Penrith, CEO of Gordian Knot Strategies, a climate finance consultancy aiming to mobilize $1B per year by 2030 (and having mobilized $1.67B to date) joins Kim Allchurch Flick.
Penrith shares his path from entrepreneurship in Argentina to founding a sustainable glass company, then moving into climate policy, carbon markets, and impact investing in Portland before launching GKS to “translate” between capital providers and climate projects.
He argues climate capital isn’t flowing due to a nature-negative economy, lack of standardization, unclear risk/return profiles, and failure to price ecosystem services viewed as public goods.
GKS focuses on nature-based solutions while also evaluating energy and tech options.
He urges consumers to choose responsible banks, support climate-forward policymakers, and pressure companies, and defends carbon markets as a conduit moving capital to Global South “carbon sink baskets,” despite corporate fear of reputational risk.
Time Stamps
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:36 Sean’s Entrepreneurial Journey
04:52 GKS Mission and Funding Gap
06:03 Why Climate Capital Stalls
08:11 Nature-Based Solutions Focus
10:28 What Consumers Can Do
19:31 B Corps and Better Standards
23:34 Carbon Markets and Reputation Risk
28:56 Nature’s Fast Comebacks
32:44 Trillions Needed and Leadership
35:09 How to Reach Sean
35:28 Dinner Guests and Wrap-Up
